The invention relates in general to conductor terminals, and more particularly to the assembly of a line cable with the bus terminal of a circuit breaker.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,891,298 and 4,603,376, a terminal lug, or collar, is used, with a screw applied therethrough to the cable in order to maintain in tight and overlapping relation an electrical cable and the flat conductor end of a circuit breaker. An important problem to solve with such assembly has been to obtain a good counter-force on the base and to counteract any tangential forces developing between the lug or collar base and the conductor end, on the side opposite to the applied screw forces. To this effect, the conductor end is provided with a central aperture and the base of the lug, or collar, has been given a complementary projection, or boss engaging the aperture when mounted. Such mechanical problem has to be solved in a simple manner and without impairing the standard nature of the assembly for different types of circuit breakers, nor the inherent advantage of a straightforward mounting. This has been solved in the '298 patent by using a clip which can be snapped on the sandwich formed by the lug, or collar base, and the conductor end before placing the cable into the lug, or collar, and applying the screw transversely thereto. In the '376 patent the disclosed solution consists in using an additional screw passed through the base of the lug, or collar, and projecting as a post into the aperture of the conductor end once mounted.